Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-29
DAILY HERALD,
VALE
Judge Brunson's Last Hour
on the Bench.
AN AFFECTING SCENE.
Resolutions by the Bar Associa-
tion and Remarks by Judges
Cheney and Bruns0n.

Cheney ana bfunSOh.
Yesterday morning Judge Anson
Brunson took his official leave of the
bench of the Superior Court Of this city.
and, anticipating the remarks which
were incident to that occasion, most OF
the leading members of the bar were
present at the opening hour of the
court. Judge Bruuson having attended
to several matters performed his last
official act in granting further time to
amend an answer in case, and asking
Judge Cheney to take the bench returned
to seat in the auditorium.
Mr.. Wade then rose and said: If
the Court please l desire to present this
Court some resolutions.
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE COUNTY OF
Los ANGELES.
To the Presiding Judge of said Court: !:
Tho undersigned would respectfully
represent that they were, at q meeting
Of the members of the Bar of Los An.
geles county. appointed committee to
draft resolutions express sive of their re.
gret at the resignation of the Honorable
Anson Brunson, one of the Judges of
this Court, and were by said meeting
authorized to prepare such resolutions to
this Court, and ask that the same be
spread upon the minutes. In pursuance
~ ounh In. hova 4
and asked leave to submit the following
resolutions, aud pray that the same b.
spread upon the minutes as aforesaid:
Resolved, that we recognize the resig-
nation of the Honorable Anson Brunson
of the Superior Court of the county of
Los Angeles, to be great public loss.
The qualities Of mind and heart VIII ch
he has displayed while occupying the
bench are rarely found with same pro.
found knowledge Of the law in the same
person. His course as Judge has fully
exemplified the doctrines that honor in
public employment, lies in the manner
in which its duties are performed, rather
than In the conspicuous position occu
pied by the officer. There is no position
either ON the bench or at the bar to
which he may be called for which Judge
Brunson 10 not eminently fitted, and YET
no station to which q noble ambition
may III the future lead him to aspire and
odd more true luster to his fame in the
estimation of those who have watched
his career than that which he has earn.
ed as q judge of our Superior Court. As
. student he is dilligent, painstaking
and comprehensive. as judge he has
ever been uniformly fair and impartial,
with sufficient tirmness to protect the
dignity of the bench, a sufficient urban.
ity Of temper to avoid undue harshness
and asperity. His self.reliance has new
er degenerated into that egotism which
advances as hasty impressions of what
the Law should be, to place above
what the law is. In administering the
duties of his office he has manifested
that breadth of intellect which prevents
the Just judge from mistaking mere form
from substance. He has been in the Ian.
guage of Lord Bacon ''more learn
ed than witty, more reveree
than PLAUSIBLE and more advised
than confident. These are the qualities
which we regard as belonging only to
'the great jurist, however circumscribed
tthe theater in which they are displayed
Resolved, That deeply as we regret
the resignation of Judge Bruuson. we
frely acknowledge the sufficiency of the
reasons assigned by him for pursuing
this course. As lawyers whose labors
he has lightened and facilitated by his
wise administration, and whose affec-
tons he has won by uniform courtesy
and kind consideration, we shall ever
hold him n tender remembrance; and
his record as Judge is the best guar
anty of his qualifications for the duties
of the position upon which he is about
to enter. As we esteem him as Judge,
we anticipate no abatement of our high
regard for him as brother lawyer when
in future we meet him at the bar.
Signed, WALTER VAN DYKE,
J. s. CHAPMAN,
w F. FITZGERALD,
GEO. II. SMITH.
Mr.. Wade then moved that the reso.
lutions be spread upon the minutes.
Judge Cheney said: "In entertaining
this motion l would state. as represent
ing the Bench, that for the last two years
1t has been my good fortune to have
been upon the bench with Judge Ansom
Brunson. The relations between US have
been cordial, friendly and intimate,
necessarily intimate from the confiden.
tial relations which must exist between
two Judges of the same court. / have
always esteemed him highly, more highly
than any words can express. There is
no word in these resolutions which
would change, but there are many words
which / would add to them, were it
proper. 1t is sufficient to say, in all my
relations with him have found him all
that these resolutions say he is. have
not been ashamed to consult him. have
always been proud to drink at that legal
fountain which he has supplied for the
whole bar. 1 have looked upon him,
with his years of experience, his kind.
ness, his gentleness, his certainty and
righteousness in legal conclusions, as one
out of thousands. regret very deeply
that he leaves the bench. The burdens
that have been cast upon him and myself
during the last two years have been
heavy, unusually heavy. 1t has only
been by the adoption of systematic rules
that we have been able to carry the bur.
dens which have been thrown upon the
bench. During this time Judge Brunson
has always borne his share of it uncom.
plainingly, and has always been willing
to assist me in mine. / regard him
O. 1 would regard brother; regard
him as I would regard q friend. I
regret his resignation, because, select
whom we may, the position cannot be
better filled tnan it has by Judge Anson
Brunson. Let the resolutions bs spread
upon the minutes in full, Mr.. Clerk.
Judge Brunson then being invited to
say few words, stepped in front of the
Judges seat and said:
GENTLEMEN OF THE BAR: do not
know how to respond to your resolu-
tions. 1t has been said that hearty
robust man could live for many days
without food, the life engine being fed
upon the accumulations of the body.
Whether that is SO or not, l feel now
that could live the life of . generation |